Good Samaritan Hospital will require any job candidates to first undergo a nicotine screening before hiring. The hospital may hire some candidates who go through a tobacco-cessation program, while other candidates who test positive can reapply after one year. Current staff won’t be impacted by the new policy.

"We are committed to working as one health system in the care of our patients and for the benefit of the communities we serve," says Robert Batory, senior vice president and chief HR officer at WellSpan Health. "Aligning our policies throughout the health system, and extending them out to our new partners, is consistent with this mission.”